Another big field showed up for tonight's Super Tuesday, with 439 coming out to play. That's the biggest group to participate in PokerStars' weekly $1,050 no-limit hold'em tournament so far in 2012, and the largest since 442 played four weeks ago -- which at the time was the largest Super Tuesday field in ten months!

That turnout meant a prize pool of $439,000, again smashing the event's $150K guarantee. The top 54 were due to split the booty, with $84,244.10 scheduled to go to the winner.

At the four-hour break just 97 players remained, with capinhabr on top (63,083) followed by wizowizo (61,672) and velasco14. (54,388).

Of the representatives of PokerStars only two remained -- Björn 'Bjoerni89' Schneider of Team Online and Ana Marquez of Team Spain. Schneider was in decent shape in 22nd with an above-average stack of almost 33,000, but Marquez was in the danger zone, in dead last (97th) with but a few big blinds.

Marquez would soon be ousted in 88th after her K♦5♠ failed to improve against jackellwood's A♥3♠. And Schneider would miss the cash as well, going out about a half-hour later in 65th when his A♥8♣ couldn't catch against Big_nat123's pocket treys.

They'd been playing for about five hours and 15 minutes when just 55 players remained. With one elimination to go before the cash, elitelive found himself down to less than a single big blind, and after folding a few hands had just 233 chips to go in the middle when the BB finally reached him.

Up against arxigos' A♣K♥ with 9♣3♥, two nines flopped for elitelive, meaning he'd survive with 1,382 chips to play another hand.

The next hand saw the table fold around to selinantis who open-shoved all-in from the button for 58,677 (more than 40 BBs). elitelive had already committed an ante (175) and his small blind (700), meaning he only had 507 chips left. He thought for a while, then finally folded. Then whereisdonny called the shove from the big blind with the 13,297 he had remaining.

whereisdonny held A♠K♦ and selinantis A♥5♦. The community cards came 6♥9♠7♣6♣... 5♠! The river five paired selinantis, knocked whereisdonny out on the bubble, and ensured an improbable payday for elitelive who would soon go out in 47th ($2,195).

The final 54 would be cut down to 18 over the next hour-plus. Among those joining elitelive in cashing were Betudontbet (48th, $2,195), YrrsiNN (41st, $2,414.50), snake8484 (40th, $2,414.50), arxigos (37th, $2,414.50), wizowizo (31st, $2,634), insanocut (24th, $3,073), and ediguadro (19th, $3,073).

At that point velasco14. was on top of the counts with more than 334,000, selinantis had moved into second with just over 268,000, and donvin21 was third with 181,000.

On one of the remaining five-handed tables velasco14. soon opened for 7,013 (a bit over 2x) from UTG, then munchenHB pushed all in from the button for 70,652 total. The others folded, and velasco14. called, tabling A♦T♥ to munchenHB's A♣9♠. No help arrived for munchenHB, sending him out in 10th ($5,707).

It was velasco14. taking the lead to the final table, with jackellwood not too far behind and donvin21 and AceSpades11 sporting healthy stacks as well. Meanwhile kartt was the short stack, sitting with less than 12 big blinds as the first final table hand was dealt.

kartt would be all in before the first orbit had completed with A♣Q♣ against velasco14.'s K♠K♥. The flop came nine-high, but the turn and river brought two queens to enable kartt to double-up and survive.

Not too long after that, kartt would double through velasco14. yet again with pocket eights against velasco14.'s 3♦3♣. All in before the flop, both players would flop sets, and kartt's hand would hold to push him close to 150,000.

Meanwhile, velasco14. had slipped to less than that, having rapidly plunged from first to worst among the last nine, while AceSpades11 gradually pushed out in front and began to build a significant chip lead.

The group settled in a bit, and in fact it would be more than an hour before the first elimination of the final table took place.

With the blinds at 2,800/5,600, bobivey opened for the minimum raise to 11,200, then it folded to selinantis in the small blind who reraised all in for 90,494. AceSpades11 folded the BB, then bobivey quickly called, tabling A♣K♥. selinantis was drawing live with Q♠J♣, but the board came 9♠6♣A♠A♦8♦ and selinantis was out in ninth.

Not long after it was bobivey min-raising from middle position to 12,800, then donvin21 reraising all in from the small blind for 81,252. jackellwood stepped aside, but bobivey called, showing J♥J♠. donvin21 was hoping for an ace or other agreeable cards with his A♥J♣, but the board came 2♦4♠T♣6♣K♠ and donvin21 was gone in eighth.

The remaining seven played on until a still-short-stacked velasco14. pushed from UTG for 111,076. It folded to velasco14.'s nemesis kartt who reraised all in from the SB, getting a fold from bobivey in the BB. velasco14. had J♥J♠, but he'd run into kartt's A♣A♥. The five community cards came T♦T♣9♠5♥9♥ and kartt had claimed the last of velasco14.'s chips, sending him railward in seventh.

The blinds had climbed to 4,000/8,000, with AceSpades11 now well out in front with nearly 900,000, when bobivey opened for 16,000 from the button. It folded to AceSpades11 in the big blind who hesitated, then shoved all in, thereby forcing bobivey to decide whether to commit his remaining 179,059.

After thinking for several seconds, bobivey made the call, showing A♠8♦. AceSpades11 had K♣Q♣. bobivey was still best -- although precariously so -- through the turn as the first four cards came J♥7♠8♠T♣. But the river was the A♥, giving AceSpades11 a Broadway straight and eliminating bobivey in sixth.

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That hand pushed AceSpades11 over the 1 million-chip mark with five left, more than twice his nearest challenger jackellwood. However, both dave798111 and kartt would double through AceSpades11 to close the gap, leaving the remaining five all roughly around a half-million aside from danceofddead with about 225,000.

Then danceofddead would enjoy a double-up as well at AceSpades11's expense when his A♥T♦ held up against AceSpades11's K♠J♥, and once again a final table chip leader had fallen to last in the counts.

Play continued past the ten-hour mark, with some talk starting to emerge regarding a possible deal, but no consensus. Then came a hand in which kartt raised 3x to 42,000 from the cutoff and got a single caller in dave798111 on the button. The flop came 9♠2♣6♥. kartt continued for 42,000, and dave798111 called. The turn brought the 5♥ and an all-in push for 189,775 from kartt which dave798111 instantly called.

The hands were shown, and they were a couple of monsters -- K♥K♠ for kartt and A♣A♥ for dave798111. The river was the 9♥, and kartt was out in fifth.

About 20 minutes later the blinds were 8,000/16,000. AceSpades11 raised to 33,400, then it folded to dave798111 who pushed all in from the big blind for 270,298 and AceSpades11 called.

dave798111: A♦6♦AceSpades11: Q♥Q♣

The cards came K♣4♣T♥Q♦7♠, giving AceSpades11 a set and knocking out dave798111 in fourth.

Deal talk surfaced once more, but danceofddead suggested playing on. "ok lets play," typed jackellwood. "i like your style irish :)" said AceSpades11 to the Ireland-based danceofddead. And so the game continued.

The blinds were up to 9,000/18,000 when AceSpades11 put in a button-raise to 37,620 and jackellwood reraised all in from the small blind for 463,994. danceofddead then four-bet shoved for 509,000 total from the big blind, and AceSpades11 stepped aside.

jackellwood held J♦T♦ and needed some help against danceofddead's suit-matching A♦Q♦. The flop came 9♦9♥A♠, giving danceofddead two pair. The turn was the T♥, pairing jackellwood's hand, too, to give him some hope. But the river was the 6♥ and jackellwood was out in third.

Heads-up play began with the remaining two players nearly even in chips, with AceSpades11 holding 1,177,636 and danceofddead 1,017,364. As they played the first hand, AceSpades11 brought up the possibility of a deal one last time.

That conversation finished as their first hand did, a small pot for danceofddead. As it happened, the pair would only be playing one more hand.

The final hand began with AceSpades11 raising to 37,620 from the button, danceofddead reraising to 108,000, and AceSpades11 calling. The flop came 6♠3♠A♥. danceofddead led with a bet of 108,000, and AceSpades11 called. The turn then brought the 4♠ and another bet from danceofddead, this time for 218,250. AceSpades11 called again.

The river came the 5♥, and danceofddead responded with an all-in push for 601,114. Holding just a bit more, AceSpades11 called one more time, showing A♣6♦ for aces and sixes. That was better than danceofddead's A♣K♥, and after 10 hours and 45 minutes of poker, this week's Super Tuesday had finally concluded.

Congratulations to AceSpades11 for besting a huge field of 439 to secure a nifty $84K-plus payday in the Super Tuesday!

We're just over a day away from the start of the first ever TCOOP, the Turbo Championship of Online Poker! Starting on Thursday, a total of 50 fast-moving events will be played through January 29th. Click here for further details.